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Dr. says not to nurse after one!

Baby is now 10 months old and is 29lbs. Baby J does not crawl, but loves standing and bouncing in place. I started purees @ 9months starting last month (once a day..stage one) at dr's request, and now she says I should stop nursing him at 1 because he should be eating atleast 3 meals a day. I've tried giving him more textured foods, but he gags and alot of times he's not interested in eating solids. I don't understand...and I feel that nursing beyond one is frowned upon

First time mom to baby Joshua (12/19/2008, 6lbs-0oz, 19 inches)
I have no what I'm doing, but I'm doing my best
I'm STILL at work, when I'm home, and .

Re: Dr. says not to nurse after one!

No offense meant, but your doctor's wrong. The AAP says to nurse at least a year and as long after that as mom and baby want (and I believe they are in the process of rewriting their recommendations to mirror the WHO's). The WHO says minimum 2 years and as long after that as mom and baby want.

Re: Dr. says not to nurse after one!

Teal was kinder than I was going to be. But I concur.

My daughter didn't eat much AT ALL until she was almost 16 months. You've got a long time to keep nursing. And nursing FIRST before solids if you like. DO your research. Your ped is behind the curve to put it nicely. Trust your gut, mama. And when you don't? Come ask us.

Re: Dr. says not to nurse after one!

Re: Dr. says not to nurse after one!

Originally Posted by @llli*duckpond

I initially said he was an idiot.

"Idiot" is precisely the word that leaped to my mind. Time for a new doc, or to start lying to/educating your current one.

If you want to take the education route, here are some resources:
-The American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement on Breastfeeding. Your doc should familiarize himself with the following: "Increased duration of breastfeeding confers significant health and developmental benefits for the child and the mother, especially in delaying return of fertility (thereby promoting optimal intervals between births)....There is no upper limit to the duration of breastfeeding and no evidence of psychologic or developmental harm from breastfeeding into the third year of life or longer." Also, it's worthwhile to note that the World Health Organization recommends nursing for a minimum of 2 years.
-Fat and Energy Contents of Expressed Human Breast Milk in Prolonged Lactation. Mandel et. al. Pediatrics 2005. "Conclusions: Human milk expressed by mothers who have been lactating for >1 year has significantly increased fat and energy contents, compared with milk expressed by women who have been lactating for shorter periods. During prolonged lactation, the fat energy contribution of breast milk to the infant diet might be significant."
- When to Wean. K. Dettwyler. Natural History 1997. Discusses the natural- as opposed to cultural- age for weaning.
- Extend Breastfeeding's Benefits. K. Steinkraus. Mothering 2007. A terrific, highly accessible article. Your doc might not like it, but believe me: you will!

My pediatrician would tell you that solid food is not nutritionally necessary until the first birthday. Up to that point, solids are only for experimenting with new tastes, textures, and motor skills. After the first birthday, solids become an increasingly important part of the baby's diet, but the transition from a majority-milk to a majority-solids diet is a gradual one, with many normal, healthy babies still predominantly breastfed well into their second year.

Re: Dr. says not to nurse after one!

The doctor is stupid. Baby's interest and ability to eat solids/different textures have nothing to with BF. Babies know when they are ready and they eat when the time comes. My son was not interested in textured foods (and he was gagging and vomiting frequently) until he was almost 2. We even took him to occupational therapy to get him to eat but he wasn't ready until he was ready. The fact that I continued BF made sure that he could get every nutrition he needed without eating lots of solids. BF is a solution for babies who have problems with solids, it is not the problem.

Re: Dr. says not to nurse after one!

The thing is that once your child turns 1 they don't magically become perfect solid-consuming toddlers. It is a slow transition and you might not even see an interest in your child with solids until several months after he turns 1. So it makes no sense to stop nursing at that point IMO. Your doc gave you short advice without taking the whole picture into consideration.

The only part that can change is you should encourage solids first before nursing sometime around the first year. Even that, some babies are ready for at the 12 month mark and some are not.

I would suggest continuing to offer a variety of textures and flavors at 9 months. Finger foods are a lot of fun too! So many good ideas on here in the solids section as well.